Wisconsin Badgers begin the postseason ranked in the AP Top 25

Closing conference play with a third top-15 road victory of the season, Wisconsin is ranked No.23 in this week's AP Top 25.

Feb 17, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) drives to the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes guard Taison Chatman (3) defends during the first half at Value City Arena. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin will start the postseason the same way it started the regular season: ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

After winning at No.15 Purdue on Saturday to clinch a third straight top-five finish in the league, the Badgers are ranked No.23 in the final rankings of the regular season, tying their highest ranking of the year back on Nov.17.

The Badgers (24-9, 14-6 Big Ten) will begin Big Ten Tournament play on Thursday afternoon against the winner of Wednesday's USC vs. Washington game. No matter the opponent, UW heads into the postseason with plenty of momentum.

Made a statement in our regular-season finale

🎬 Cinematic recap at No. 15 Purdue pic.twitter.com/PKHYvpN3ie
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) March 8, 2026

Having a resume wins over teams currently ranked second, sixth, 10th, and 11th in the NET rankings, Wisconsin has won four straight games over AP Top-25 opponents for the first time in 11 years, three of which have come on the road.

The latest victory was a 98-94 victory at Mackey Arena, the most points scored by an opponent at Purdue in over 13 years, to finish the season 6-4 in conference road games. Wisconsin hit 18 three-pointers (a school-record for a road game) and shot a season-high 55.8 percent from the field.

UW also shot 21-for-24 (87.5%) from the free throw line and committing only eight turnovers, improving to 19-2 on the season when committing 10 or fewer turnovers.

With six days until the NCAA Tournament brackets are revealed, the Badgers are sitting No.26 in the NET rankings, a sorting tool used by the selection committee to fill out the bracket. After having no Quad-1 wins on January 9, the Badgers won eight of their 10 Quad-1 games entering the postseason.